Require specific career mission completion to unlock tech

[ringerc]

As a way to stop the vast flow of nearly-free Science from weird and wonderful random contracts, it might be worth pinning tech tree items to specific milestones via research credits. So you can still get the tech without achieving the goals, but it's harder.

It'd help if unmanned launches were possible *before* manned launches.

Achieved your first suborbital flight? Gee, maybe we should be able to recover those not just leave a pretty crater, lets work on craft recovery systems.

Reached 20,000m? I think to go higher than this we're going to need multiple stages, where the prior stage detaches. Lets work on that.

Launched an artificial satellite into a stable orbit? Hey, what if we could bring it back down intact?

Orbited a natural satellite with a probe? Hey, it'd be cool if we could land...

and so on.

I found that by the time my first probe got half way to Mun (and its batteries went flat, sigh) I was launching nuclear rockets on Kerbal escape trajectories. There's no real sense of time or progression as a result. That's good in that the game doesn't drag out tediously, but it also makes tech advancement meaningless, because by the time your probe brings back 70 tech from Mun you've got 3000 from doing random contracts while you wait for the probe to get there.

Rate-limiting random contracts would help a lot too.

[Talavar]

Something definitely needs done.. I started a new career today, and with the new administration building *perks* I unlocked everything in about 2 hours. REdiculously easy. Somethign HAS to be done about it, or it's pointless to even play career mode.

[Talavar]

I think there should be not just a *science* requirement. it should also have a research bubble that fills slowly. You pay the science required, then depending on your researchers *stupidity* and their pay rate, the bubbles fill at a certain rate. And it should be 1 part at a time. lower costs requiring lower research time. As of right now, I just don't see the point of career AT ALL.

[CaptainKipard]

If you want unmanned parts earlier, show your support here.

[LethalDose]

One of the problems with this idea (tech gated behind milestones/achievements) is that it contradicts the dev's "plans" or "visions" or whatever they want to call it.

They've stated that they don't view the completion of the tech tree as the goal of the game, or at least not the end goal of the game. In fact, they've stated in their view the tech tree is just there to introduce the parts to players.

So that being said, it's really unlikely they're going to lock any tech behind further barriers beyond what's already in place.

Also, yeah, the balanced of Admin strategies can be kinda borked.

[r4pt0r]

Not sure how I feel about career. I like having to work around a budget, I like contracts like "explore ike" and so fourth. But I dont do any missions outside of kerbin/mun/minmus until i have all the parts unlocked. Nor do I build spacestations until I have them all.

[Kegereneku]

As a way to stop the vast flow of nearly-free Science from weird and wonderful random contracts, it might be worth pinning tech tree items to specific milestones via research credits. So you can still get the tech without achieving the goals, but it's harder.

It'd help if unmanned launches were possible *before* manned launches.

[....]

I found that by the time my first probe got half way to Mun (and its batteries went flat, sigh) I was launching nuclear rockets on Kerbal escape trajectories. There's no real sense of time or progression as a result. That's good in that the game doesn't drag out tediously, but it also makes tech advancement meaningless, because by the time your probe brings back 70 tech from Mun you've got 3000 from doing random contracts while you wait for the probe to get there.

Rate-limiting random contracts would help a lot too.

Both are problems I have tried to address myself long ago.

What you are suggesting are "milestone". But alas you'll always find player to complain if they cannot (aren't allowed actually) to explore whatever they want first.

The second problem of launch-rate is also hard/impossible to solve because it is linked to funds access and how much science is EASILY accessible. Once again some people wouldn't like being denied access to nuclear power even if they explored 80% of the Mun in a month.

I had suggested in a topic long ago to switch to a semi-periodic method of funding, to involve TIME in the gameplay.

The idea was that since Timewarp nullify any frustration you could have waiting, you could limit the amount of money around period of time, which in turn would limit the number of rocket you can launch in a given time.

The major difference in gameplay it would give is that rather than grinding money and launching in a short space a very big rocket just in time to go explore <other planet> you would have to plan ahead of time to assemble the ship on time.

However this is a big change and SQUAD have other thing to do. I expect them to do it or to find other solution by the time they try to balance thing anyway.